Stability Charts for Rock Slopes Subjected to Water Drawdown Based on the Modified Nonlinear Hoek-Brown Failure Criterion
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 1
Abstract
Because of the change in hydraulic gradient of a fully or partially submerged rock slope caused by a drop in the external or internal water level, enhanced seepage forces may lead to slope instability and collapse. Based on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion, a three-dimensional stability analysis on submerged rock slopes was conducted using the kinematic approach. Emphasis was given to applications of the equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters method and the generalized tangent technique and the adoption of the Hoek-Brown failure criterion to the stability analysis. The accuracy of the two methods for safety factor calculation was investigated and compared with the computational results. Stability analysis of a rock slope subjected to different hydraulic conditions was performed using the generalized tangential technique, and safety factors are presented in the form of stability charts for convenient practical use. The obtained results demonstrate the applicability of the nonlinear Hoek-Brown failure criterion in rock slope stability analysis. It was found that an increase in water level differences reduces slope stability, and different water drawdown conditions lead to various changing rules for obtained safety factors.
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Acknowledgments
The preparation of this article has received financial support from the National Basic Research 973 Program of China (2013CB036004); the Innovation Foundation for Postgraduate of Central South University, China (2015zzts061); and the National Natural Science Foundation (51378510). The second author thanks the China Scholarship Council for providing him with a Ph.D. scholarship for his research work. The financial supports are greatly appreciated.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18 • Issue 1 • January 2018
Copyright
© 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 19, 2016
Accepted: Jul 27, 2017
Published online: Nov 8, 2017
Published in print: Jan 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Apr 8, 2018
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